It is common practice when issuing tickets in the travel industry, and in particular, in the airline industry, to print itinerary sheets individually or to print several copies of itinerary sheets using carbon or other types of copy paper. When the travel ticket is issued, the ticket is enclosed in a folder, such as a three-panel folder, along with one copy of the separate itinerary sheet. This practice has several disadvantages. Travelers have to carry the separate itinerary sheet in the travel folder which can add to the bulk of the travel folder or the itinerary can be lost. Moreover, during the issuance of the travel ticket, the above-described practice requires time by the travel agent to correctly fold the separate itinerary sheet and place it in the travel folder along with the ticket.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,496 to Kaluza (1-15-85) describes a continuous form multiple ply assembly which addresses some of the difficulties encountered with the prior practice. The Kaluza patent describes a ticket folder which includes at least three plies. The top ply extends part way across the remaining plies. Itinerary information is printed on this top ply and copied onto the remaining plies. The second or intermediate ply defines both a ticket pocket and a second removable itinerary sheet. The intermediate ply, therefore, requires perforation to detach the second itinerary sheet from the pocket portion which remains attached to the third or back ply. The back ply also has itinerary information printed on it and can be folded along scored lines to define the three panels of the travel folder. The ticket pocket is formed by a portion of the intermediate ply which is the same size as or less than one such panel and which is attached to the back ply along two adjacent edges of the pocket.
Several disadvantages are associated with the assembly described in the Kaluza patent which are overcome by the present invention. The folder described in the Kaluza patent and its commercial embodiment are relatively complicated to manufacture because each ply is either a different size or has special scoring, die cutting or perforations. The back ply is a three-paneled sheet of paper with scores defining the three panels. The intermediate ply is substantially the same size as the back ply but the itinerary portion of the intermediate ply must be detachable from the pocket portion. The top ply is a different size from the remaining two plies. Moreover, because the folder is made of the single back ply, relatively heavy paper must be used for the back ply and the back ply therefore tends to break apart at the score lines.
Another disadvantage associated with forming the folder from a single ply is the limitation on the number of printing colors which can be used on the outside and inside folder surfaces. Web-type printers are typically limited to a given number of colors per sheet, regardless of whether the colors all appear on one side or are split between the two sides. Accordingly, for a printer with a four color capacity, a single sheet folder can only have a combined total of four colors on front and back surfaces.
In addition to manufacturing difficulties with the assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,496, as an itinerary is printed on the top ply there is a likelihood that the printer head will catch the top ply and jam because the top ply does not extend across the entire lateral width of the assembly. That is, as the printer head makes a complete lateral movement past the edge of the top ply, the printer head can catch the edge on its return path. Moreover, regarding office productivity, when the travel folder is used a travel agent must, after removing the control strips, remove the single top ply, then detach the detachable portion of the intermediate ply. Additionally, in one embodiment, a user must remove a waste portion from the remaining portion of the intermediate ply. From a time efficiency viewpoint, the several additional seconds required for the manual manipulation of such an assembly multiplied by a high volume of itineraries results in a substantial efficiency decrease. From an efficiency of materials viewpoint, the assembly requires the disposal of a substantial waste portion of paper. Also, as the folder is opened to read the itinerary on the back ply, the ticket can easily fall from the pocket.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a multiple ply assembly for a travel folder having simple manufacturing requirements and which is efficient in use.